


Enchanted by You

by FreeGrain



Series: MFS Week 2020 [5]
Category: Motherland: Fort Salem (TV)
Genre: Alternative Universe - Sirens, F/F, Mildly Dubious Consent, Siren Scylla Ramshorn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:08:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25812589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreeGrain/pseuds/FreeGrain
Summary: Alder warns the crew of the Salem that the siren they captured is dangerous. But too late, Raelle's already listened to her song and now she just can't get her out of her head.{Raylla}{Raelle x Scylla}
Relationships: Raelle Collar/Scylla Ramshorn
Series: MFS Week 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1797622
Comments: 6
Kudos: 79





	Enchanted by You

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the free day of MFS Week but I didn't have it ready. So weeks later, here we go I guess? Enjoy! 💜

"Look what we caught!" 

Late at night, Tally's shrill voice rang through the ship. Usually, Raelle would have turned over and just gone back to sleep but there was something that made her get up. Before she knew it she was on her feet, coat on her shoulders. 

She froze for a second, wondering what she was doing. 

But she was already halfway out the door so she might as well see what was going on. 

"Abigail?" 

Abigail was also supposed to be sleeping but instead her friend joined her at the stairs. She too still wore her sleep wear but looked forward anyway. 

"Hey." Abigail blinked the sleep from her eyes. "I… I'm awake." 

"Same." 

Something was off. 

Raelle emerged into the fresh air, the wind quickly whisking through her hair. It carried the scent of sea salt. Refreshing, waking her up properly. 

Tally stood by the edge of the ship with Libba, both of them struggling with a net. A net? They shouldn't have been fishing at this time. Especially during this weather. They'd catch nothing. 

"Hey!" Raelle jogged over. "What's going on?" 

Behind them, others were emerging from their quarters, including their captain, Alder. Somehow Tally had managed to wake up the whole ship in one fell sweep. 

Tally turned from her, eyes shining. "Come on! Help me!" 

Raelle frowned but grabbed the net too. Between the three of them, they managed to pull the net up. 

"What-?" 

"Get off me!" 

It was a young girl entangled in their net, desperately writhing to get free. Except she wasn't a woman. 

Raelle's eyes widened at the sight of scales and a twisted tail. 

"Whoa." 

The girl met her gaze with sharp eyes. And opened her mouth. 

"Stop her!" Alder yelled. 

But she'd already started singing. 

And oh, what a sweet song it was. 

A memory flashed across her vision—a memory of a better time when she was young. Running through the fields, wind in her hair and a laugh on her lips as she turned back. And she was there with her. Her mom ran up behind her, sweeping her up into the air in a huge bear hug. 

_"Mom?"_

The world was spinning and she heard herself laugh. So young and childlike, lost quickly in the wind. 

Then a hand on her neck, holding tight, and another on her arm. 

"Raelle!" 

Suddenly a body barrelled into her and she crashed to the deck. 

The vision shattered into a million pieces. 

Raelle grunted and pushed Abigail off her. 

"Hey!" 

"Hey yourself! What do you think you were doing?" 

"What?" 

Abigail sat up and indicated back at the girl with a fish tail. "She _jumped_ you!" 

Anacostia and Izadora wrestled the girl down but she wasn't a pushover. Sharp teeth lined her jaws as she snapped at them. Anacostia finally slammed her head down against the deck. And she _whimpered-_

"What is she?" 

" _That_. Is a siren." Alder paced over to them and offered her a hand. "Creatures of myth but very, very real." 

Anacostia managed to get the metal mask over her mouth, effectively sealing off her song and teeth. Without her weapons, the siren wasn't a match for them. 

"What will we do with it, Captain?" Anacostia asked. 

Raelle couldn't help but stare. She was beautiful. Wild. Free. Like the sea in human form—except she was very much not human. 

"Take it down below deck and chain it up," Alder decided. "It's a danger. We need to find out why it tried to attack us." 

"You keep saying it," Raelle said. 

"Because it's nothing more than a beast," Alder said dismissively. Instead, she walked across to Tally and Libba. "Good catch, you two. Who knows the damage it could have done if it got onto the ship." 

But Raelle heard her speak, heard her song, experienced her power. She wasn't a mindless creature but intelligent. Like them, rather than an animal. 

"You okay, shitbird?" Abigail asked, nudging her with her foot. 

Maybe it was only the siren's song but Raelle couldn't tear her eyes away from her. She saw something in her that no one else did. 

"Yeah… I'm fine." 

She could feel Abigail squinting at her. 

"I'm fine, Abi. Okay?" She turned, fixing a smile on her face. "Seriously." 

"Okay. I just…" Abigail nodded. "Good." 

Anacostia and Izadora vanished below deck with the siren in tow. She wasn't fighting back, seeming to realise she was out of her depth. 

"Everything is fine," Alder said loudly to everyone on the ship. "You may return to your quarters." 

With the excitement fading, everyone realised how tired they were and started to head back to sleep. As Raelle headed below deck with Abigail, the memory kept flashing through her mind. Her mom had died years ago. 

How had she done that? Was that the power of a siren? 

She wondered if anyone else has seen that—or if they'd seen something else. 

"Night, Raelle," Abigail said as she vanished into her own quarters. 

"Night, Abi…" she echoed, barely listening for her thoughts were so loud. 

And much to her dismay, she found she couldn't sleep. The rocking and shifting of the boat beneath her usually soothed her into a deep sleep but tonight she was more awake than ever. Her mind kept replaying the scene over and over again. If Abigail hadn't jumped her, what else might she have seen? 

And then she found herself on her feet again. 

Alder said the siren was dangerous but Raelle was willing to risk it. 

Outside, everyone else was back asleep except the few on deck manning the ship. No one would see her. No one would notice. 

So as quiet as a mouse, Raelle slipped into the lower deck of the ship and towards where they kept any prisoners. 

And sure enough, there she was. The siren was beautiful now that she got a proper look at her. Brown hair and beautiful eyes that fluttered up to look at her. 

"Hello," the siren said eagerly, sitting up. 

Chains ran from each wrist to an iron plate implanted in the wall. Even though she could not walk, they didn't take any chances. 

"...hi." Raelle took a step into the room. 

"You're the one who listened," the siren said. "Come back for more? I must warn you, I can't sing with this on." A hand ghosted the binding around her throat. "I'd be happy to take it off." 

Raelle shook her head. "I can't. Captain's orders." 

"Hmph. Worth a shot." 

Raelle sat down in front of the cage, not really knowing why she was there. But she felt a pull, a wicked tug on her chest so she stayed. 

"What did you see?" the siren asked. 

"Huh?" 

"The song. What did you see?" 

Again, the memory replaying in her mind's eyes—so fresh and cruel to her heart. How she wished to be back there. 

"My mom." 

"Ah." 

Was it her imagination or did she look sympathetic? 

"You're an orphan too?" 

"No, my dad is back home." Back on the land. He never liked the sea like her mom did and when Raelle went to follow in her footsteps, he remained back home. So she'd always have somewhere to go. 

"I see." 

Raelle frowned. "You're an orphan?" 

The gentle flicker in her eye and a tightening of her jaw. She'd struck a nerve. 

"I'm a siren," she murmured. "We don't exactly have a lot of friends on the sea." 

Other pirates must have run into them, just like they did. And perhaps butchered them, rather than lock them up. Was that a more merciful fate than what was in store for her? 

"I'm sorry." 

"Excuse me?" 

"I'm sorry about your parents." 

The siren chuckled, pleasantly surprised. "That's the first time I've heard that. But it wasn't your fault." 

"The others don't see you as a person." 

"I'm not human. That's enough to mark me as evil in their eyes." 

Above deck, a bell rang. It signalled the beginning of a new day. 

Raelle glanced towards the door. "I have to go." 

She didn't seem put out but leaned closer to the bars. "What's your name?" 

She knew she shouldn't tell her, that giving her that connection gave her power. She should just be another sailor on the ship carting her away. 

But her tongue moved on its own. "Raelle." 

"Raelle," she repeated, as if tasting the word. "Raelle. That's a pretty name." 

Raelle knew she had to be out of here before anyone noticed. She couldn't be late to morning call. 

"Raelle?" 

She paused in the doorway, looking back at her. 

"My name is Scylla." 

Scylla, a monster of the sea or so the legends said. Perhaps it was true. Perhaps it wasn't. 

Raelle nodded and ducked out the door, feeling Scylla's eyes burning holes into her back.

* * *

"You look tired," Abigail said as she adjusted the sails. 

The wind was picking up, casting them in a north west drift. 

"Couldn't sleep." 

"Still shaken from the siren? Yeah. It gave me the creeps." 

It. 

Raelle didn't know why that annoyed her but it did. Scylla wasn't an 'it'. She might not be a human but she was still a person. 

"What do you think it was doing here?" Abigail wondered out loud. "Captain Alder wasn't fazed at all. Do you think she's seen them before?" 

Alder had been on the seas for longer than any of them. A legend in her own right, her ship, the Salem, was something of a folktale. 

"Maybe." 

They had, after all, had that metal collar readily available. Raelle joined her crew a few years ago but never saw something like this. Rumours spread like wildfire through taverns about monsters in the sea but she'd dismissed them as old wives tales. And yet… they held truth. 

"What do you think she wants to do with it? Raelle?" 

Raelle finished tying the knot and turned around. "Sorry. I'm just… tired. She got in my head." _Keeps making me think about her_. A mere note had allowed her to see her mom again. What could a whole song do? 

There was power in Scylla. 

Raelle craved her so desperately. 

Abigail nodded sympathetically. "I can finish here if you want to take a break?" 

She was a good friend. Raelle didn't know what she'd do without her. 

"Thank you." 

"No problem." 

Raelle walked past the others, ignoring the curious glances she got. She knew they'd all seen her in her trance. No one had asked yet but they wanted to. She didn't know if she'd answer them. The vision was personal. Not for them to know about. 

Raelle frowned and realised she'd completely passed her room by. 

Her feet carried her down the stairs without her even thinking. 

She turned to go back upstairs but stopped at the sound of a voice. 

"Why are you here?" Alder, a lot colder than she normally was. 

Raelle crept forward curiously. This was Scylla's cell. Oh. 

"Does it have anything to do with the Spree being sighted several leagues to the North?" 

The Spree? Raelle started in surprise. The Spree was another ship on the ocean—Alder's greatest enemies. They'd been at war for longer than Raelle was alive. 

Scylla laughed, as enchanting as her song. "Oh, nothing gets past you, oh wise Captain. You are famed for your talents." 

"Did they send you?" 

"I'm here for personal reasons." Scylla sounded so innocent, voice dancing in a song. 

But Alder was having none of it. 

Raelle thought she hit her from the sound of it. 

Another voice rose in protest, Izadora. For a second they muttered to each other, too low for Raelle to catch and then- 

"We'll resume this later." 

Before they saw her, Raelle ducked into a supply closet, shutting the door. Footsteps passed by, accompanied by irriated voices. Scylla had gotten under their skin. How intriguing. 

After a minute, she peered out, making sure Alder was gone. 

"Collar!" 

Raelle nearly jumped out of her skin. 

Anacostia stood in the doorway. "What are you doing in a closet?" 

Raelle had an awful impulse to make an equally awful joke but thankfully repressed it. "Um… looking for a broom, ma'am. I want to… sweep the deck." 

Anacostia lifted a brow but didn't question her. "Right. Continue." 

"Yes, ma'am." 

Raelle quickly snatched a broom from the closet and gave her a mock salute. Anacostia watched her go and didn't say anything. 

Cursing herself for not thinking of a better excuse, Raelle returned to the top and started sweeping the deck. 

"Raelle? I thought you were getting some rest." 

"I was. But…" She glanced down at the broom in her hand and smiled. "...I actually decided to clean." 

Abigail blinked, eyebrows furrowing. But thankfully she didn't question it any further. 

Raelle sighed. How annoying.

* * *

"Did she hit you?" 

And again, Raelle found herself unable to sleep. So she did what she did last night and went to see Scylla. She wondered if anyone had fed her or even what sirens ate. 

Fish probably? 

Scylla touched the bruise on her cheek gingerly. It wasn't large but it was prominent enough to draw the eye. 

"Nothing I don't deserve in her eyes." 

Raelle wanted to reach through the bars and touch her. Even just to soothe the angry skin. She didn't. 

Scylla stared openly, curiousity burning in her intense gaze. 

Raelle cleared her throat. "How can you do the… the visions?" 

"Oh. Well. It's my power, I don't know, since I was a siren, I could always do it." She lifted a brow. "You want me to do it again. So you can see your mom." 

"Is it that obvious?" 

"That isn't a healthy coping mechanism." 

"You tried to sneak onto our ship to kill us all." 

Scylla went silent, and bit her lip. Raelle's eyes were drawn to it against her will. There was just something about the siren that was so alluring to her. That made the danger seem worth it. 

"No. I didn't." 

"That's not very convincing." 

Scylla chuckled. "You'll believe them over me anyway." 

"Try me." 

Raelle had always had her misgiving about Alder but she was a good captain. She'd steered them clear of disaster more times than she could count. Yes, lives had been lost but that was for the greater good? Wasn't it? Raelle didn't quite believe. 

Scylla tilted her head. 

"Why are you here, Raelle?" 

And she didn't know. 

"You're dodging the question." 

"So are you." 

But Raelle had no answer for her. She didn't know how to tell her that she was drawn down into the belly of the ship just to see her. Like she was meant to be here. 

"I wanted to see you." 

Scylla arched an eyebrow. "Oh? How charming. I'm _swooning_." The chains around her wrists rattled as she leaned forward, tail flipping on the wood. "Didn't they warn about me?" 

_And under no circumstances are you to approach the siren,_ Anacostia had announced at dinner _. Even with its song sealed, it's dangerous. It's tricky and manipulative. Don't let it drag you._

Unfortunately for Raelle that warning had come far too late. The curiosity about Scylla won past everything. And as long as they didn't know she was down here, everything was fine. 

"Of course they did. But I've never been good with authority." Raelle chuckled. "I've gotten into more trouble than you know." 

That earned her a smile—a real genuine smile. 

"If you didn't want to kill us, why are you here?" 

And that smile faltered. 

She had refused to tell Alder, why did Raelle think she'd tell her? But as she sat waiting, Scylla struggled. She struggled because part of her wanted to tell her while the other screamed not to. Any information was vulnerability. And she couldn't be vulnerable in the heart of the enemy ship. 

"Why do you want to know? What good will it do you?" 

"It could help you. Alder-" 

The smile darkened to anger at the mention of her name. 

"Did she send you down here? Is that why you're talking to me?" Scylla snapped forward, teeth bared. 

"What? Scylla-" 

"Because she should know! She should remember but she doesn't!" Hatred laced every word, every tone, shook her body to the core. "She didn't even care!" 

Raelle had no idea how to respond. She didn't know what she was talking about. 

Scylla closed her eyes and inhaled, recomposing her. "You should go." 

"Scylla-" 

"I said _go."_

Not that she was in any position to order her around but Raelle recognised when she wasn't supposed to be there. She'd struck a nerve. And it was a hard one. 

"If I said something, I didn't mean it. She didn't send me." _I want to know._

But Scylla wasn't listening. 

For a second, Raelle saw the beast that everyone else saw. The rage contained in her small form was greater than anything she'd ever experienced. Hurt bottled up, threatening to explode. 

And Raelle turned around, knowing she ought not to have gone at all. Raelle lay down on her bed She knew she wouldn't sleep again so she just stared at the ceiling. Thinking. Imagining. 

Seeing her beautiful eyes staring right back her.

* * *

A day passed and then another, but Raelle just got even more exhausted. 

She hardly slept, her mind filled with thoughts of Scylla. It slowly consumed her. 

"You've been like a zombie for days," Tally said in worry. "Are you okay? Are you sick?" 

Sick? Maybe. There was something wrong with her but she thought it was mental rather than physical. 

"I'm fine, I'm just-" 

"- _tired_ ," Tally finished. "I know. Maybe you should see Anacostia." 

Not that it would help. Raelle knew her problem lay down in the bottom of the ship chained in a cell. 

"Maybe I should," she agreed. "I don't feel very well." 

If it would get her friends to stop worrying, it was worth it. Anacostia was working on something when she walked in. 

"Raelle? What can I do for you?" 

"I… I don't feel well." She really didn't know what to say to her. 

Anacostia frowned. "Come over here. Let me examine you." 

Raelle sat down in front of her. 

"You seem fine," she confirmed. "However-" she peered into her eyes, as if trying to spot something within them, "-you did hear the siren's song. It might have something to do with it." 

"You think?" 

"I think you need to rest," Anacostia said firmly. "Clear your mind. Let the thoughts go." 

Rest was the last thing she wanted to do. But she could not argue. 

As Raelle made her way back to her room, she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep. So instead she headed to the storage. She make a stop on the way to fetch something for her. 

Scylla lay against the wall, eyes closed when she entered. 

"Hey." 

Scylla opened her eyes, surprised to see her there. 

"I come with a peace offering," Raelle said, showing her the tray of dried fish. She'd tried to find something fresh but anything fresh had been long eaten or salted for the future. This would have to do. 

"So because I'm a siren, you assume I like fish?" 

"You don't?" 

"No, I do. I just don't like the stereotyping." Scylla took the tray from her and tore into the fish with ravenous hunger. 

"Are they feeding you?" 

"No. Why would they?" Scylla was finished in a second. 

"I… they aren't that cruel. I thought…" 

Scylla's laugh was ice cold. "You have a lot to learn about Sarah Alder. She is the _real_ monster." 

"Why do you say that?" 

"Experience. You'll learn one day. She can't pretend forever." 

And she sounded so _sure_ of herself, that she knew all about Alder. Why? Raelle opened her mouth to ask but- 

"Collar! What are you doing down here?!" 

Raelle sprang to her feet. She had no excuse ready, no cover for getting caught. 

Alder opened the door, Izadora and Anacostia right behind her. 

"Did you feed it?!" 

"I just-" 

"She didn't know," Scylla said coolly. "That I gain my strength from feeding." 

And Raelle watched in horror as she wretched her arm free from the chain as if it was nothing. 

Scylla's smile suddenly had too many teeth. And she lunged. 

The bars rattled but they held. Scylla growled and tried to pull them apart. They groaned and shook but nothing. They didn't budge. 

"Get back," Anacostia warned. 

"You can't hold me forever, Alder!" Scylla snarled. "I will come for you!" 

Where others might have had fear, Raelle only felt awe. Scylla was incredible. 

"What were you doing?" Alder snapped, rounding onto her. "Why were you down there?"

"I… I wanted to know why she was here!" 

"Why? Why did you? And why did you give her food?" 

"Alder!" 

Anacostia had always been soft on her, protecting her from punishment despite her many broken rules. Anacostia never protested against Alder like this. 

Alder stepped back, composing herself again. "I am sorry. But you don't understand how dangerous that is. It may seem like a person but I can tell you, it isn't. It's a beast." 

Raelle stared into her eyes, trying to give anything away. But she didn't believe her. She might say that but she saw Scylla. She'd talked to her. She was a person but she was also a beast. That didn't make her not understandable. And she wanted to understand her. 

But she nodded. "Understood." 

Alder sighed. "Please, don't go down there anymore. We are working on breaking it. But it will take a few days for it to weaken again." 

Again Raelle nodded, acting as if she definitely intended to follow those orders. 

The danger they'd warned, Scylla was worth it.

* * *

Raelle did sleep. Not peacefully but perhaps it was the exhaustion that finally forced her body to shut down. She slept well for the next couple of days. 

Her mind was at peace, waiting its time before it could go down and see her again. 

"Are you sure you should be down here? Not that I'm not glad to see you," Scylla smiled. "I can always appreciate a pretty face." 

"Why do you hate Alder?" Raelle needed to know. She was her Captain and she knew she was ruthless in her own way. But to earn that hatred—of that magnitude—she needed to know why. 

And like that, her good mood vanished. 

"You really…" Scylla sighed. "Be glad that I think I like you." 

Raelle waited. 

"Because… I wasn't _born_ a siren. She made me this way." It was hard for her to say. "I… She… it was years ago. And she doesn't even remember…" 

"She made you?" 

Scylla who was still free of the chains beckoned her forward. And Raelle, as if drawn by a string, followed. 

"Not on purpose," Scylla murmured. "She meant for me to drown but…" a flick of her tail, "...that didn't happen." 

"That's awful." 

Scylla leaned her head against the bars. “But that is the way of the world, isn’t?” 

Didn't mean it was okay. 

"Are you helping the Spree?" 

The ship was sighted heading for them. Even at top speed, they aimed to intercept them. 

Scylla made a face. 

"Me? You think they like sirens?" 

"So no?" 

"Well, I didn't say that."

Raelle knew she wasn't going to get a straight answer out of her. Scylla's needed to keep her mystery, even to her. 

"What will Alder do to you?" she asked. 

"When we dock?" Scylla shrugged. "Who knows. But… why are you here, Raelle? Why do you ask your questions?" 

And she couldn't answer. 

She couldn't reply that ever since that damned night she couldn't stop thinking about her. 

Scylla's eyes flashed as she leaned closer to her bars. 

Raelle's fingers brushed hers. 

A strange connection had formed that night, bringing them closer together. Raelle didn't know if was magic, manipulation, or anything but she didn't care.

* * *

“Raelle, are you okay?” Tally asked. “You’ve been so… weird recently.” 

“Just tired.” 

How long had she been saying she was tired? How long since Scylla appeared in the night? 

“You should talk to Izadora,” Abigail suggested. “See if she can help you. You need it.” 

“I’m fine, really.” 

“Raelle? Raelle, come on. Just talk to her.” 

As their resident healer, she might be able to help. Even if it was just to sleep. 

“Okay. Okay. I’ll go talk to her.” To get them off her back if anything. Sometimes having such caring friends was annoying. 

“Izadora?” 

Izadora sat in her room, reading some script casually. She looked up. 

“Raelle. How can I help you?” 

Raelle closed the door behind her. She’d worked on the ship for months and months now but she couldn’t think of a time where she had a one on one conversation with Izadora. She seemed nice. 

“I was wondering if you could help me with my sleep problem,” Raelle said. 

“Your sleep problem?” Izadora stowed her document in her desk and stood up. “Please take a seat. Tell me about it.” 

Raelle sat down. 

“I… haven’t been able to sleep. Um, I’m not sure why but… I sometimes wander through the ship.” She had no idea how to describe it. Part of it was longing to go down to the belly of the ship. 

“Hm. When did this start happening?” 

“When… when Scy- the siren appeared.” 

That quirked Izadora’s attention. She lifted her brows in surprise. “The siren? She got into your head, didn’t she?” 

Raelle nodded. 

Izadora frowned and steepled her fingers. Curiosity bloomed in her eyes but she didn’t say anything yet. Just stared. 

“Sirens are deadly creatures,” Izadora admitted. “They can mess with you. Here.” Izadora turned and rummaged in a basket before retrieving a small bundle of herbs. “Take these and go to bed. See if it works,” 

“Now?” 

Izadora nodded. “No time like the present.” 

“Thank you.” 

A shadow passed across her face but then Izadora smiled. “Good luck.” 

Raelle hurried back to her room and swallowed the herbs with water. She put her head down and closed her eyes. And like that, sleep swept over her and then the darkness with it.

* * *

Raelle woke up what had to be hours later. And she felt insanely refreshed. Whatever Izadora had given her had worked its magic. She hadn't slept that well in so long. 

Raelle stretched and climbed out of bed, prepared to head up and return to work. The day was still young. She could help her crewmates. But as she emerged out into the air, she spotted most of the crew gathered by the mast. 

"What's going on?" she wondered out loud. 

Alder paced back and forth up on the deck, eyes worried. 

"What's going on?" Raelle asked as she squeezed in next to Tally. 

"The siren escaped," Tally whispered. 

Scylla escaped? 

Raelle blinked in surprise. 

"How? When?" 

Abigail glanced at her. "Someone let it out." 

Oh. _Oh._ Things just took a whole new turn. Raelle wondered if Scylla managed to rip the collar from her throat and bewitched an innocent sailor. Because how else did she find someone to let her out? 

"You. Collar. Get out here." Alder was angry, angrier than she'd ever seen. "It was you, wasn't it?"

"What? No!" 

Everyone's eyes turned to her. 

"You listened to its song. It had you do its bidding." 

"No, no!" Raelle shook her head. "I didn't do anything. I couldn't have! Ask Izadora!" 

Izadora glanced at her and then back to Alder. "I have no idea what she's talking about." 

"What? Are you serious?" 

When Izadora looked back, Raelle quickly realised that she was on her own. 

"Alder-" 

"Do you have _any_ idea what that siren is worth? What it will do?" Alder turned. "It is _dangerous._ " 

"I didn't do anything!" 

But she wasn't listening. Instead she could only watch as her Captain paced, cursing her name and everything she stood for. 

"You're a traitor." 

Raelle had been rendered speechless. 

"Izadora…" 

Izadora glanced at Alder. 

"She's been acting strange since that siren appeared on board," she said to the captain. "We've all seen it. I think she's under her spell." 

"Wait, what? No!" Raelle stormed forward. "How _dare_ you?!" 

Unfortunately, that seemed like the wrong thing to do. 

Alder's guards grabbed her for daring to move towards her own captain and Raelle shrieked. 

"This isn't fair!" 

"Is there any way to cure her?" Abigail spoke up, one hand wrapped in Tally's. "You. Just-" 

"No," Alder said sharply. "Or it's unknown." She looked over at Raelle. "She's dangerous." 

And of course, Anacostia would be the one to stand for her. "Surely there's a better way-" 

Izadora turned to Anacostia, eyes narrowing. "You know what sirens can do. You _know_ how they can affect people." 

Anacostia lifted her chin and said nothing. 

"Alder? _Please_. You have to believe me." 

Except she didn't. 

And Raelle saw her future slip between open fingers. 

Alder's fingers touched the hilt of her sword, considering. But she sighed. "You worked faithfully for me. The sea will be your decider." 

"No. No, please-!" Her begging fell on ears that didn't not care. 

Alder turned away, looking out over the edge. "She is kind to those who are truthful." 

"That's bullshit and you know that!" 

Anyone cast over the edge were on their way to death. No one survived. 

"I have made my decision." 

And silence echoed across the crew, punctuated only the howling wind. Raelle wanted to scream and to cry for them to listen to her but she knew it was futile. They would deem her mad, a siren's victim and who knew? Maybe they were right. 

She couldn't deny she'd been drawn to Scylla. 

But not under her spell? Right? 

Raelle's struggles ceased. What would fighting get her? The crew were loyal to Alder. Where could she run? 

"You're wrong," she said. "You're making a mistake." 

Alder turned to look at her, dark eyes so cold and for the first time, Raelle truly saw the monster Scylla spoke of. 

"I do hope I am. Good luck. The sea will decide your fate." 

_Or you do. Or Izadora._

Raelle looked at the healer and couldn't for the life of her think why she'd throw her under like this. How would this benefit her? 

"Raelle Collar. You have committed treason against your captain and fallen under a siren's spell. Your will was bent to release it and now… you shall pay the price."

_Scylla._

She'd gotten free. 

Izadora looked softly innocent but her eyes were sharp, cool. 

Raelle would never have pegged her as a member of the Spree, trying to sabotage Alder. But she'd never have thought Alder would throw her off the side of the ship either. 

She looked back at Tally and Abigail offering them one last smile. 

Neither of them could say anything, tears flowing and mouths saying silent prayers. To whatever higher powers listened. 

Raelle looked down at the swirling sea below. 

"May she guide you right." 

"Fuck you." 

Said in response to Alder but directed at the woman next to her. Alder didn't say anything. But Izadora… Izadora softly smiled. 

And then the plank vanished from beneath. 

Raelle didn't scream as she fell. There was no point. 

The sea burned ice cold and Raelle fought to keep her head above the surface. Already her ship roared ahead, leaving her behind. For miles and miles, there was nothing, nowhere she could swim. 

_I guess the sea deemed me a liar._

Raelle sank below the waves, losing feeling in her fingers. 

Her lungs would burn, seeking the air she didn't have. Above, the light faded and faded until she couldn't see it anymore. 

Raelle's eyes fluttered and for a second she thought she saw someone in the water. 

_Goodbye, cruel world._

"Raelle?" 

For a second Raelle wondered if her mom called her to move on but it wasn't her voice. It was someone else's. 

"Raelle!" 

Raelle opened her eyes to blue but not the sea. Blue eyes stared into hers. 

"Raelle!" 

_Scylla?_ was what Raelle wanted to gasp but as her jaw dropped in shock, water swept in. Her lungs screamed and she choked, but she could not cough. Her chest tightened. 

"Don't worry." 

A hand lifted her chin while the other pulled her closer. 

"Trust me." 

And then Scylla kissed her, sharper than any cold the sea could burn into her skin. 

Raelle was dying. She could feel it. 

Even as she had the best kiss of her life, it would be her last. 

"Trust me…" Scylla whispered against her mouth. 

And then Raelle saw no more.

* * *

"Fuck-" 

Raelle shot up bolt right and promptly threw up. Her mouth tasted of salt and she choked. But _air,_ sweet crisp sea air, filled her lungs and she breathed again. 

"Easy…" someone said beside her, a hand stroking her back. 

"Scylla? What? Where am I?" 

"Safe. Okay? Please don't panic." 

Panic? 

But then Scylla's hand was on her arm, the other stroking through her hair. Soothing gestures and Raelle inhaled sharply. 

"Where am I?" 

Scylla gestured around them. "Well. I don't think it has a name. It's a rock" 

They lay on a rock outcropping off the shore of an island. Water lapped around them, no longer trying to drown her. 

"You saved me." 

Scylla's eyebrows flexed. "Not exactly," she admitted. "I didn't quite make it time."

"Huh? But-" 

"Look." 

Scylla gestured down and Raelle followed her direction. Her jaw dropped. A tail. One like Scylla's, replaced her legs. 

"I'm a-?" 

Scylla nodded. "I… it was all I could do." 

"You can turn people into sirens?!" 

"No, um-... well, I suppose. It's more complicated though." Scylla didn't seem to know what to say, awkwardly lying next to her. "It was to save you." 

Raelle lay back against the rock and sighed. "I drowned, didn't I?" 

Scylla nodded. 

Ah, she'd known the moment she'd been cast off the Salem that she'd been a goner. She'd expected to die alone and left behind, her crew abandoning her. But to come back… she frowned. What did that mean now? 

"You kissed me." 

"Well- okay, yes I did." 

"I liked it." 

And Scylla, the big scary siren, blushed. And Raelle thought it was beautiful. 

"So? Do you want to tell me why you were on my ship- my ex-ship- in the first place?" What had led them to this path, Raelle wanted to know. 

Scylla smirked. "I suppose I do. But do you want to try out your tail first?" 

Raelle couldn't even begin to describe how strange it felt to only have one limb rather than two. Yet it was a part of her body. 

"Sure. You'll teach me?" 

And Scylla smiled. 

"Of course." 

She offered Raelle her hand and Raelle took it. She slipped into the water with Scylla and together they started to swim. It felt strange but also so natural at the same time. 

"So?" Raelle said, underwater without hinderance. "The ship?" 

"It's a long story." 

"We have a lot of time." 

And Scylla smiled. "Yes. That we do." 

Time together as sirens, Raelle thought. What a strange idea. And yet her new reality. And yes, she liked it. 

**Author's Note:**

> Did you enjoy it? If so consider leaving me a comment to make my day~ 🥰


End file.
